Large format, high resolution displays have been adopted at the radiology department of a cutting-edge Swiss hospital
Thomas Egelhof MD
Head of Radiology
Christoph Kreutner
Technical Section Leader
Merian Iselin Hospital, Basel, Switzerland
Email: [email protected]
Close cooperation between different medical departments plays an ever more important role in the modern hospital world. The success of many treatments is highly dependent on the exchange of diagnostic data as well as personal assessments. Merian Iselin Hospital for Orthopaedics and Surgery decided that large format, 8 megapixel (UHD) resolution displays can offer the best insights during medical meetings.
Our facility
The Merian Iselin Hospital for Orthopaedics and Surgery is one of three large private hospitals in Basel, Switzerland and nationwide one of the organisations with the largest number of surgical interventions in knee and hip surgery in the country. One of the most important centrepieces of the hospital is the radiology department, which creates imaging reports for both external and in-house physicians. In 2014, more than 20,000 radiological examinations were carried out here.
In order to strengthen and further expand this leading position, it is important to create further confidence – on the one hand with the patients, but also with external and referring physicians. For us, quality and expertise are the most important criteria for success in the medical field, where the focus is on the health of each individual.
This trust in quality was also reinforced by the certification according to ISO 9001 that we achieved in 2014. The International Standard specifies different requirements for a quality management system. For this purpose, the hospital reviewed all work processes using different quality management methods to work in an even better and more efficient manner.
One important aspect was that the Merian Iselin Hospital wanted a better display solution for the meeting rooms of the doctors. This is an important point as modern medicine is team work. Efficient communication and discussion between patients and cooperating physicians is a crucial factor for success in treatment. It works best if we can assess and discuss the examination results together with the doctors involved and the patients.
Large format for perfect cooperation
One of the requirements was a high quality display for the medical meeting room. For this purpose, the image display must be so precise that there is a good quality experience from different viewing angles and distances in the meeting room, in order to carry out and obtain an accurate analysis.
Common diagnostic monitors were not suitable for this purpose, as they are far too small for larger groups of people to gather around. Previously used large-format display technologies offered only lower resolutions and therefore could not display detail with the precision nor colour nuances required. The hospital was seeking a new solution, one which would meet their requirements for resolution, colour quality and signal processing in UHD quality, whilst impressing on patients and physicians that it is a meticulous care provider.
High resolution for fine details
We selected the NEC MultiSync X841UHD 8 megapixel monitor featuring a screen diagonal of more than two metres and DICOM mode for clinical review of X-ray images for use in the Multi-Disciplinary Team room. An NEC MultiSync MD322C8 widescreen diagnostic monitor, with the same resolution as the large-format display, is used as an input monitor for the radiologists.
The UHD monitor from NEC fulfils modern requirements with a richness of detail, precise and controlled colour reproduction, flexible connectivity and a guarantee of giving state-of-the-art technology with investment and future-proof security.
The larger visual workspace, combined with the huge physical size of 84-inch UHD large format displays, sets new standards in image size and quality, guaranteed to capture undivided attention of spectators and viewers. The extreme detail achieved with the UHD resolution display permits more precise diagnoses and allows extremely low viewing distances. Medical image data is reproduced correctly thanks to precise calibration and DICOM mode. Black is really shown as black, just like white is really white on the screen. A semi-matt surface restricts the effects of reflections on the screen.
The diagonal dimensions of more than two metres allow several images to be shown alongside each other for direct comparison. The meeting room in the hospital is designed to host up to 10 people and the viewing distance of spectators towards the screen is up to five metres. In order to provide a perfect visual solution for all attendees while considering the room situation the screen had to provide a width of at least two meters. Thanks to the high display brightness, images remain stable regardless of the ambient room lighting. Whilst in operation, the monitor does not emit any audible sound, therefore concentration is not impaired, even in larger groups or sensitive meeting situations.
Thanks to the wide variety of connection options, several signal and cable types allow a flexible choice of playback sources. Furthermore the monitor could be integrated into the hospitals infrastructure without any problems. It supports the Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) software JiveX from Visus, which permits the communication of findings and distributes image data to the connected peripheral devices. We selected the Radiology Information System (RIS) from medavis for workflow management.
The MultiSync MD322C8 as an input monitor for the radiologists also plays an important role of the radiology department of the hospital. The monitor is capable of delivering 8 megapixel resolution. This image format, known as 4K Ultra High Definition (3840×2160), has quickly become an established standard in many areas of the medical imaging sector. This follows the tremendous innovation in recent years with medical imaging technology where devices such as CT and MRI scanners can now deliver a higher resolution than ever before.
Better treatment with better displays
The Merian Iselin Hospital offers its customers and patients the best service and highest quality. Therefore, the requirements the hospital imposes on itself also apply to the technical equipment. The discussion of the X-rays is now possible for the first time at the highest level, as the image can now be shown in the same quality and grade as on the diagnostic monitor.
A good diagnostic monitor says more than 1000 diagnostic words. With the use of the new meeting room resolution, the diagnostic work could be visualised and thus the credibility of the findings could be increased, as the lesions are shown in a better and more precise manner. This leads to less uncertainty for all involved and increases productivity both in radiology itself as well as for referring physicians and other incorporated medical specialisations.
